Ahoy there mateys!

Sayre and I survived his first "underway" this week! His ship took off very early Monday morning to spend the week on the high seas doing training maneuvers. Despite bad weather, rough seas, and a bit of sea sickness as a result, Sayre seemed to really enjoy his time out there! Even though he was only gone for a few short days, the idea of him being gone and how unpleasant that was going to be finally snuck up on me late Sunday night before he departed. I knew that it was only going to be for five days, and I was very well aware of the fact that I could handle it knowing that in the future he'll be gone for much longer, but still something just came over me in that moment and I lost it. I became consumed by this overwhelming realization of the future and what's to come for us when he does actually have to deploy for upwards of six months at a time. I wondered, "How will I cope with him being gone? What will I do when I can't talk to him for days, weeks, and months at a time? Will simple emails be enough?"

Fortunately, Sayre had a better grip on things than I did at that moment, and he was able to calm me down and remind me that we don't have to worry about his deployment for a very long time (Thank you, God!). Once Monday morning rolled around and he took off, I was much more relaxed. By Thursday I was actually really proud of myself for the things that I had accomplished while he was gone and happy about the time I had to get to know another officer's wife while our husbands were gone. It was even kind of fun at times anticipating the next email I'd receive from him on the ship :) It reminded me of our courtship (I know that makes me sound so old-fashioned ;) ) and the times we spent getting to know each other's hearts more deeply through written correspondance. Then to my great surprise and shock, shortly after I got home from visiting with that wife Thursday afternoon, Sayre showed up on our doorstep with beautiful tulips in hand! His ship had returned a day early because they couldn't complete any more of their training missions since the weather had gotten so bad (the entire crew got sea sick at one point or another... not fun). Although being apart from one another is never fun, I think that this underway was good for both of us. It made me realize that although the future will certainly not be easy, I'll be able to handle it and cherish the moments that I do have with him.

Christmas Blessings

As the holidays are quickly approaching, I want to take a few moments to reflect upon how abundantly God has blessed us over these past few months and years. We are in good health, have incredibly supportive and loving families, and wonderful friends all around the world. We truly could not ask for more.

Being a new Navy wife, it's hard to ignore the sense of pride and admiration I have for all those serving our country and their families. Sayre and I are so blessed because it will be awhile before he has to deploy; however, there are so many others out there right now who will not be able to spend this holiday season with the ones they love. Since I have not yet experienced a deployment firsthand, I can only imagine how hard and painful it must be at times only relying upon those precious moments when contact is possible to get through those long months apart from one another. My prayer this Christmas is that those brave men and women out there who won't have the privilege of being home this year can come to realize how truly grateful we are to all of them for giving us the best present one could possibly give: the gift of freedom. May God always watch over this beautiful country and protect it from those who seek to break apart the basic morals, principals, and ideals that our great forefathers established it upon.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Here comes Santa Clause

Time seems to be flyyyyyying by these days! I can't believe that Christmas is just 2 weeks away! Yaaaaaay!! Sayre and I have been getting into the Christmas spirit recently with a few fun activities. Last Thursday night we went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas concert. It was sooo awesome! Their stage is an amazing array of lights, moving parts, and lasers... combine that with their rockin' renditions of classic Christmas songs and you're in store for a very memorable evening! We had a great time!


To top off last weekend, we made another trip to Disney World to make use of the last few days on our military passes before they expire at the end of the month. Once again, we had an amazing time, despite a little bit of rainy weather. This time we went to MGM Studios (now referred to as Holywood Studios) on Saturday which included the Rockin' Roller Coaster, the Tower of Terror, and Lights Motors Action Show to name a few. That night we went to the Magic Kingdom to see all of the pretty Christmas lights as well as the fireworks display. We were also thrilled to get the chance to ride the newly refurbished Space Mountain while we waited to see the fireworks! On Sunday we went to the Animal Kingdom. The main attraction there, and our absolute favorite ride: Expedition Everest! Also, before leaving, we tried out the Rapids ride even though we knew were going to get soaked... and we did! It's ok though because we were about to leave to drive back to Jacksonville and we had a change of clothes in the car. Overall, it was another great weekend!

Now we're eagerly awaiting the start of the Army/Navy game! Sayre invited a few guys from his ship over to watch it, so it should be a good time. Go Navy!!

Click here to see some more of our Disney trip pictures.

Thanksgiving

Sayre and I had a wonderful time visiting my family in Louisiana for Thanksgiving. I wish that we could have stayed longer, but we'll be back very very soon for Christmas festivities! Although I really wanted to spend some time visiting with my friends while we were there, we just didn't have enough time to try to round up the troops this time around, so instead we spent those few days gobbling down some turkey with family and enjoying the great outdoors since the weather was so incredible.

On Thanksgiving day, we went to my cousin Elke's house. It was so nice to be able to actually sit down and chat with everyone. Last time we were in Louisiana, we were in the midst of Hurricane Wedding and our heads were spinning in too many different directions to be able to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the good company of family and friends. The food, of course, was scrumptious! Oooh I can't even begin to tell you how long I had been dreaming of turkey and stuffing before Thanksgiving finally arrived :) We were both gloriously full once the day was over!

Aside from stuffing our faces with food, we spent a lot of time fishing in the lake in my parents' backyard. Sayre's really been missing that lately, so he was happy to be able to cast a bit out there. Unfortunately, the only two fish that were caught the whole time were tiny little brim fish that my mom happened to reel in. Regardless, we still enjoyed ourselves relaxing by the water. Dad also took us out to a shooting range one day which was pretty fun. We shot his .22 shotgun as well as my grandfather's old handgun from WWII. Well, technically the boys shot the handgun... mom and I just stuck with the shotgun :) Handguns scare me. Anyway, overall, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.